News > Wafer Processing

Sematech has announced that the centrotherm photovoltaics AG
subsidiary, centrotherm thermal solutions, will join its Front End Program
(FEP) to develop low-temperature processing techniques for use in
high-performance logic and advanced memory applications such as metal oxide
RRAM devices.

Himax Technologies, a leading producer of CMOS image
sensors, semiconductor devices and power management devices, has placed a
repeat order for an IQ Aligner UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) system from
EV Group. The IQ Aligner system will be shipped and installed at Himax’s Tainan facility in Taiwan.

Camtek, the automated and technological solution provider, has announced that it has booked orders exceeding US$3.5 million for its Falcon family of automated wafer inspection products. The order was from an unnamed global outsourced semiconductor assembly and test house (OSAT) and pertains to various applications within the backend semiconductor process. The product delivery will come in the current and following two quarters.

Industry market monitor IHS iSuppli has confirmed that American multinational chipmaker Intel has extended its lead in the semiconductor industry after a successful 2011. The announcement follows the company’s posting of its financial figures earlier this year; Intel’s income represents 15.6% of the total semiconductor industry revenue. Second placed Samsung Electronics represents 9.2% of the industry after seeing only marginal growth. Samsung has been gaining on Intel’s market share in recent years following the release of its hugely successful Galaxy SII handset in 2011 and securing a contract to supply some of the chips for Apple’s iPhone.

The recovery in equipment sales continued for the fourth consecutive
month with North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment
posted $1.33 billion in orders in February 2012. The SEMI book-to-bill
went over parity at 1.03 for the first time since September 2011 and the
best bookings since August 2011. The bookings recovery is also the steepest seen since the last major up-cycle that started in mid-2009.
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According to VLSIresearch, Applied Materials is no longer the leading
semiconductor equipment supplier, a position it has held as a right of
passage for three decades. Recent comments from Applied’s Mike Splinter,
regarding the capital spending impact of lithography tools on the
company’s available TAM, suggest he was merely softening the blow he
already knew, as lithography supplier, ASML took the top honours in
2011, the first time it has done so in the history of the company.
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Oerlikon Group’s loss-making Oerlikon Solar, the originator of the
turnkey thin-film business model with a-Si and tandem-junction thin-film
technology, is being sold to Tokyo Electron (TEL) for US$275 million.
Oerlikon is focusing on its other engineering divisions as part of
revenue growth avenues. The deal is expected to be concluded over the
next few months with more details to be provided on Monday when
quarterly results are reported. TEL had been a sales representative in
Asia for the thin-film technology.
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TSMC has placed further orders with Applied Materials and Novellus
Systems. Ending the week with two separate batches of orders valued at
US$72.43 million was Applied Materials, while Novellus received a
purchase order valued at approximately US$17.2 million.
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Boosted by foundry and logic IC manufacturers spending habits over the
winter months, the SEMI book-to-bill ratio continued a 4-month recovery
in January with a 0.95 ratio. North America-based semiconductor
equipment suppliers posted US$1.18 billion in orders in the first month
of the year, which could have been higher if there were any lithography
companies based in the US. Though bookings and billings remain below 2011 levels, January’s
preliminary booking figure is on par with August 2011 levels. Coupled to
key equipment suppliers recent comments regarding expected spending in
2012, the upwards trend started in December, 2011 looks set to continue
in the first-half of the year.
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Despite overcapacity in key markets such as DRAM, wafer fab equipment
spending is projected to be above US$30 billion in 2012, according to
Applied Materials. Mike Splinter said in a conference call to discuss
quarterly results last week that FEOL capital spending in 2011 actually
exceeded its previous forecast, ending the year at approximately US$35
billion. Spending on lithography equipment were said to reached record
highs as memory makers implemented device shrinks by upgrading lines
with 193 ArF immersion systems.
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